Welcome to Society
by fortescue
Summary: Fem!Harry. After the Battle of Hogwarts, the daughter of Zeus is hoping for a semi-calm life at Camp with her friends. But when her cousin shows, she finds herself thrown into a whole new prophecy that she couldn't be a candidate for. Can Tessa possibly save Percy from the life that had broken her down almost completely?
1. Chapter 1

**I know that this story has to look extremely cliché. I mean, a female Harry Potter. Who is a demigod. And a legacy. Legacy of two gods. And just so happens to be a daughter of Zeus. I decided to twist the plot around a bit, add some differences here and there. In both books – mainly HP – there are canon pairings, non-canon pairings, canon character deaths, non-canon character deaths, so on. The characters I mention that you might not know - Lisa Turpin, Malcolm Baddock - are actual students.  
**

**My character – Tessa – is older than Percy and the group, around eighteen, starting Camp after the whole Triwizard Tournament and the beginning of The Lightning Thief right after the war. I didn't want to mix in both of their wars at once, feeling that was too painful and much of a burden.**

**I'm starting the story the day Percy arrives, to clear up on something of a back story and such.**

****Tessa's birth - January 7th, 1987**  
Thalia's birth - December 22nd, 1988  
The Philosopher's Stone - September 1st, 1998  
Thalia's arrival at CHB - February 2000  
Tessa's arrival at CHB - June 2002  
Battle of Hogwarts - May 2005  
Percy's arrival at CHB/The Lightning Thief - June 2005**

**I would like suggestions for a pairing; I can't seem to stick with a god or demigod or whatever else. I beg reviews, like any other author out there.**

* * *

_Welcome to society,  
We hope you enjoy your stay,  
And please feel free to be yourself,  
As long as it's in the right way,  
Make sure you love your body,  
Not too much or we'll tear you down,  
We'll bully you for smiling,  
And then wonder why you frown,  
We'll tell you that you're worthless,  
That you shouldn't make a sound,  
And then cry with all the others,  
When you're buried in the ground,  
You can fall in love with anyone,  
As long as it's who we choose,  
And we'll let you have your opinions,  
But please shape them to our views,  
Welcome to society,  
We promise that we won't deceive,  
And one more rule now that you're here,  
There's no way you can leave.  
_

– Erin Hanson, _"Welcome To Society"_

* * *

She was going home.

The scent of salty waters still hung heavy in the air, much to Tessa's annoyance and her younger uncle's pleasure. She'd have to remember to beat him later, she mentally noted as they streaked past hills of lime and tawny. They eventually faded into a sweet strawberry color and an almost obnoxious emerald green. Now the smell of strawberries that her mother named her for mingled with the water and sand, creating a still pleasant combination.

It was hard for her, she supposed, going immediately back to Camp straight after the war. Many, in her opinion, would want to settle down, take a six month vacation twice a year. But her ADHD resented calm, and she felt as if she were going rusty with her skills. Months with no training had an effect on her, especially traveling with two people who didn't know anything about her world. Lisa Turpin and Michael Corner might have been intelligent - being in Ravenclaw after all - but they could have never found out she was a demigod. She always found it funny how she was in Racenclaw instead of Gryffindor, who would have been her half-brother. She acted more of a Gryff, honestly, with her courage and attitude, but she _was _intelligent. Perks of being an Athena legacy; distant, but all of the less still a legacy. And then again, Ravenclaw - whom was Athena's daughter - stood for the element of air, and their symbol was the eagle. _Coincidence? I think not._

Luna Lovegood knew, of course, being the girl she was. She often called her princess, which set off Tessa's nerves. When she was still attending Hogwarts, she would help with her training, along with a son of Athena, Malcolm Baddock. She was always protective of him; his arrival at the Slytherin table immediately after being Sorted was met with applause from Draco Malfoy, but the Weasley twins had hissed at him, and Tessa remembered wondering if Malcolm was aware of Slytherin House's sinister reputation.

Her artist's eye wanted to capture the moments before they past; the contrast of shades of the baby blue Big House and the piercing azure of the sky, the green and brown of the large pine standing out against its pitiful neighbors. The wispy clouds reminded her of feathers floating down.

She willed to remember this moment just as sharp as she had when she had first come across Camp Half-Blood, back when she was a surly and frightened girl with a man who had promised her the home she never had.

* * *

She'd sat in the very back of a white van, boxes of strawberries teetering above her. She thought that was a rather pathetic way to leave the world, right after she'd won that goddamned tournament and witnessing Voldemort revive. The man in front of her gazed with kindly brown eyes, and she felt as if he wanted to give her a pat on the back or something to reassure her, but couldn't, as he was stuck to his wheelchair. He smelled strongly of coffee, and there were wrinkles cutting into his face like the creases in his leather jacket.

The boy who she believed had been stalking her during her time at the orphanage stared back at her with a worried face that looked more mature than it should be at the age of fifteen. The dim light of the bulb that was feebly shining through the slits of the strawberry cartons highlighted an angular jaw and low cheekbones under deep almond shaped eyes the color of caramel, wild brown curls tamed into an olive green beanie. Shaw Spinnet's goat legs were disguised with cargo pants the same color as the beanie, and if she tucked her fingers under it, she would feel two small bumps of what he called his _pathetic excuse of horns_.

It never really occurred to her that the boy who resided down the hall was a satyr.

If she were at this camp they spoke so fondly of, then she wasn't there at the orphanage. That was as good as any deal she could gain.

Besides, training with supernatural powers and harmful weapons sounded much more pleasing than mopping down a checkered tile kitchen.

And the guy – Chiron, the centaur trainer of the greatest of heroes – talked to her. In her experience, adults never talked to children. Around, over, but never directly _to_ them. He listened, also. When they had asked – right after dropping the bomb of the Grecian life – if she wished to attend their Camp Half-Blood for safety, she was surprised to not feel the sticky panic and hot fear trolling through her as it usually did when she found herself treading into the dusty guest room with hopeful or greedy people or person. But this time she felt as if she were finally catching a break.

If things became heated, she could still run. She was the fastest at the orphanage, at Hogwarts. Chiron would probably stay in his wheelchair half the time, so she just had to stay in smaller areas. She didn't feel much comfort thinking about the satyrs, since she had seen Shaw run as if the hounds of hell were at his heels – _cloven hooves_. She could think the same about the nymphs, as she had heard plenty of stories of them running from lustful deities. She could only assume that they had mastered the talent of their speed after millennia.

She averted her eyes to outside the windshield, where the driver was. She was startled to see a wide blue eye on the back of his large square hand blink at her. She peered right back, sketching the face of who she could guess was Argus in her mind.

"Why are you taking me here after fifteen years?" she asked in a small but steady tone. She knew they had already explained to her why, and she did listen. She just needed to hear it again. To see if he changed his answer.

"All demigods need a chance for safety," Chiron said. _Nope. Still the same._

"Get real," she snapped. She had a pleasant Welsh lilt, a roll to her vowels that could have been charming if it hadn't been for her acid tone. "People don't do shit like that."

"Some do," Shaw protested. "We in our world do _shit like this_."

She'd bristled. She never really did know why she became friends with him. He was a freaking dick.

"What am I supposed to do when we get there?"

"Live," Chiron said simply. "You can train with other half-bloods, study, and be as regular a teenager as you can be. You are going to have chores along with your cabin, we'll lay down the rules. Don't think because I'm the activities director and old that I'm a pushover." His eyes twinkled with mirth.

"You did something to them." She stared at him, but not with accusing eyes. "Back at the orphanage."

Chiron boldly gazed back. He had a nagging feeling on who her godly parent was, but didn't want to lull over it. She didn't look like him, with her long blonde curls and almond shaped mint eyes. He could only assume she gained the hair coloring from an ancestor, who was most strongly Apollo. Even after Lily Evans left, they still conversed, and if Chiron remembered correctly, the girl in front of him had bright, electric eyes at birth. It possibly had to do with one of Hecate's blood-adoption spells.

"Mortals are blinded by the truth," Chiron said. "They refuse to see what is really there. Lies, that is what they understand. They never understood you, did they?"

The storm of feelings that gathered inside of her were foreign, something she hadn't felt since McGonagall had arrived at the orphanage with her acceptance letter to Hogwarts. Hell, she was _named_ after it – Remus' mother had the same name – and she still couldn't bear it at times. Hope.

Within the minutes she stepped through the threshold, she had been claimed. The first daughter of the Big Three since Thalia. Legacy of Apollo.

And then she had found her hope in the form of a pine tree.

* * *

"Will's going to _cry_ when he sees this."

Tessa Evans shot her uncle an amused look and focused back on the sweltering black road. It was funny how most people thought he was an ass, when really he was just a big teddy bear inside. His ink black hair was windblown, and he had his coffee eyes squinted against the wind blowing in his face. He reminded her of Malfoy – only by looks – her rival's unrequited love. But Michael Yew was dark by contrast, and was actually a cheerful OCD guy when he decided not to be an asshole.

_Dramatic, too_, she thought as he ranted on about the car. After an hour of wheedling and dealing and a possible spell or two at the dealership, she was now the proud owner of a muscular Jaguar convertible in saber silver. She was fully aware it screamed for a speeding ticket, but she couldn't help herself.

"I can't wait to see the looks on their faces," Michael gushed on with a sadistic smile. "They're all just going to break down and sob." He turned to Tessa with a small pout on his face, trying to use the full effect of the puppy eyes. "Can I take her out for a test drive?"

Tessa hummed for a bit, smirking when she could see the annoyance in his eyes. "Sure," she perked, grinning like a loon when Michael brightened enough to rival his father. "When we're slurping on snow cones in Tatarus."

"You can come with..." He drifted off. Scowling when she snorted, he punched her arm. "No need to be so cruel. But we're still going to brag about it, right?"

"You've got Apollo's competitive streak," Tessa noted, "just like everyone else in cabin seven."

Michael scrunched up his face when he realized she wasn't going to give him an answer.

When they arrived at Camp, there were a number of cars already parked. It was right after the end of the school year, and most of the campers liked to come back straight after the end of the school day. There was a pristine white Corvette - vintage, maybe - along with an SUV that looked as if it had some hard miles on it, a snappy blue pickup, a little lime bug, a hand-me-down station wagon.

"C'mon, Tom Thumb," Tessa said as she reached behind to grab her backpack. She turned off the engine, and instantly a new blast of music pounded into her head. Michael frowned, obviously not wanting to leave anytime soon, but grabbed his bags to follow with his infamous curl of lip already in place.

As they shut the doors, she could hear the sound of an engine coming up behind them, the sassy squeal of tires from a sharply took turn just a hair faster than the law allowed.

Alice Stoll was the first to step out, arms full of bags, and curly mass of chocolate brown hair windblown and pink cheeks from the fast drive. She was a pretty young woman with a taste of fashion, big hazel eyes carefully lined with makeup set in a pale heart shaped face. Their dog - a Welsh Springer Spaniel - shot out like a bullet and raced towards them, a cannonball of brown and white with a dopey grin pacing around them in uneven circles. He had a bark like a machine gun, and screeched to a stop to press his cold nose to her crotch.

"Ah, no." She placed a firm hand under his jaw and pushed it away. "Little _too_ friendly there, Witless."

Alice came running towards them, as best as she could without dropping anything. "Sorry! Sorry! How many times do we have to go over this? _You do not jump on people. _Especially innocent bystanders. Especially when they're wearing a nice outfit."

"Not exactly _innocent_," Connor joked as he slowly made his way towards them.

"Nice outfit," Travis echoed from next to him, a grin as crooked as his personality on his sharp face. "Better legs." He waggled his arched brows.

Tessa rolled her eyes with an easy grin as Alice chided him for manners. Michael had a disgusted look on his face.

"Take these," Alice ordered, passing on the bags to her sons. Ignoring their moaning, she turned sharply around and gave Tessa a swift hug. "Places to go, people to see. Take care of them for me, make sure they don't, you know, steal anything."

"Kind of impossible," Tessa stated.

Alice flashed her a smile, all white teeth and pink lips. "I know." She gave her sons a hug around the bags and whispered little threats of house arrest and no internet if she heard anything unpleasant. "Love you, boys!"

To Michael's immense pleasure, the Stoll brothers had the honor of being the first to drool over the car, they even genuflected.

After a good satisfying fifteen minutes of begging and trying to steal the keys, the brothers sighed in defeat and started to walk off arm in arm with the other two. Michael had ripped himself out of the Wizard of Oz reenactment and went down to the infirmary. Tessa, however, was still stuck between the two mischievous brothers.

"So tell us all about the Euro chicks," Travis started.

"Pretty hot, right?" Connor grinned suggestively at the older girl.

She rolled her eyes. "What makes you think I'm interested in girls?"

Connor gave an impish grin. "_Ahh_, we know you're bi, Tessie."

"We spotted you with Drew last summer."

"She charmspoke me, you dimwits."

"Still."

"Mostly," she said. She cocked her head to the side, thinking about her summer before the wedding. "Mainly all of the 'Euro chicks' were already betrothed, as they were of age. The only one I hooked up with was Hélène-Renée, a veela. They're similar to Sirens."

"A two named girl then." Travis hissed and shook his fingers a little as if he'd gotten them to close to a flame.

"Two-named girls are too sexy for their own good."

"Lou Ellen, for instance?" she muttered. She could see his face starting to burn, and his brother looked ready to burst out laughing, so she decided to spare him some humiliation. "She was a French veela."

"And French!" Connor crowed, giving his brother a high-five over Tessa's head.

"Did you score?"

She sent them a look close to pity. "Please, boys. You're talking to a daughter of Zeus here. And legacy of Apollo. Of course I did. She had platinum hair all the way down to her ass, and a fine ass at that. Eyes like the sky and a full mouth that didn't know how to quit."

"Draw her naked?"

She shoved them. "Not completely naked. I did do a few figure studies, though. A natural, that one."

They were at the cabins now, and Tessa, feeling the need to tease them, chose the wrong words to say just as she smelled the familiar vanilla and cinnamon scent. "She also had the most amazing -" she faltered when she heard a throat cleared behind her. Her hands, which had previously been up to chest level to demonstrate, were now raked through her hair, as if they had done nothing inappropriate. She looking over her shoulder with an innocent smile. "Hi, Silena."

The Beauregard daughter of Aphrodite had a killing smile so unlike her that had the trio's tongues withering. Her pellucid eyes were narrowed dangerously, ring-adorned hands on hips. "You're discussing art without the Apollo kids?" she asked dryly. "Fore shame, Arbutus. Though it is nice of you to share your cultural experiences with the boys."

She strutted up, and the brothers frantically unlocked their arms and took a few steps back. "Today's lesson on art is over, I believe you have a certain Demeter cabin to prank, Stolls."

Taking their cue, they deserted the field. Tessa vowed for revenge against the cowards mentally. _Maybe I'll get the Apollo kids to help me out..._

Silena took Connor's place at Tessa's left and started to take up their abandoned walk to the Zeus Cabin. "How do you feel," Silena started casually, her long golden nails tapping a rhythm into the crook of her elbow, "about describing the girl in question by a pair of boobs?"

"Pretty fine actually," Tessa mumbled. "Seeing as she's a veela -" Her nails stopped their beat and dug into the soft pale skin. "Ah...I also mentioned her hair. And her eyes. They were nearly as attractive as yours. In fact I can't even put into words on how beautiful you are."

"Do you really think that's going to work on me?" She cocked an elegant eyebrow. "You might be the child of two of the biggest players on Olympus, but you're no charmspeaker, Tessa Evans."

"I know. But groveling might. And a few begs. _Please_ don't hurt me, Sil. I just got here. I'll get you flowers."

"I'll be waiting for them." She waggled a finger in her face. "And besides, the Stolls are fifteen, so I know perfectly well that their current interests are of naked breasts and pranks. I also know that it's their burning desire to get their sneaky hands on as many of both as possible."

Tessa winced. "Well...do you want to see some of my portraits I made while on the run?"

"I'm outnumbered by you horny teenagers," she sighed, ignoring Tessa's protest. "I've always been since I've walked into this camp. But that still doesn't mean I can't knock every single one of your heads holding dirty minds together, understood?"

The older girl bit the inside of her cheek to keep in any comments that might set Silena off again. She had to be one of the few Aphrodite kids to believe in a full-hearted, faithful sort of love that were filled to the brim with hourly compliments and little common passions. "Yes, ma'am."


	2. Chapter 2

"Time to wake up, Supergirl. _Rise and shine._"

The voice of the person itself was enough to make Tessa groan. She rolled across her four poster bed - which was only about one turn over, considering it was a twin size - until she was on the other side and resting on her stomach, and pulled the pillow over her head. She mentally high-fived herself at the victory of furnishing the tomb-like Zeus Cabin. "Go far, _far_ away," she moaned, her voice muffled.

"Arbutus, if that thick head of yours thinks that you're staying here 'till noon, than you're stupider than I thought."

_I didn't know you could even think._ Tessa growled as the pillow was yanked out of her grasp.

She could hear another set of footsteps echoing around the cabin, and she guessed that the sound belonged to Malcolm considering he was making his way towards the vast bookshelf. He scoffed. "_Stupider_ isn't a word. It's _more stupid_."

"Exactly." The other girl ignored Tessa's moans that promised her extreme pain. "Up and at it."

Tessa cracked open a brilliant green eye. She refused to look at the younger girl, and instead focused on the blurry numbers of her wrist watch. 7:16. She pressed her face into the mattress and offered her friend - _pain in the ass, annoyance, burden - _something cruel in Ancient Greek.

Miranda Gardner scowled. "You say that as though I haven't even paid attention to my classes. _'Kiss my ass'_, you're not only lazy, you're rude, too."

_Too lazy,_ she thought._ But then again, I can solve laziness._

She ripped off the covers that were protecting her older sister of sorts from the cruel, cold outside world. _Cruel, I tell you! Cruel!_ Proving her severity was even _crueler_ than the world's, she snagged Tessa's ankles and flipped her the rest of the way off the bed.

With a horrible yelp from Tessa, Miranda proceeded to rip off the sheets and cover of the now empty bunk. "You horrible, _horrible_ girl!" she mocked from her spot on the floor. "This is _my_ cabin that _I_ rule, _my_ bunk, _my_ covers, and _I_ just so happened to be sleeping in it!" She made a mental note to start locking the hangings around her bed.

"Not anymore," Miranda chirped. She hefted the blue and bronze bedsheets over her shoulder, body in a fighting stance, and flung them high towards the statue of Zeus. They snagged onto the tip of the Master Bolt like it were a sort of enlarged clothing pin on a wire, or a drying rack. She rubbed her hands together, satisfied with her work. "Now, help me find my shoes, I threw them around here somewhere so I wouldn't make much noise when I woke you up."

"So polite..." Tessa grumbled.

"I know, right? Aren't I a great friend?"

"Sure, whatever floats your boat." _Your broken down, ridiculous paper and Styrofoam boat held together by toothpicks._

Miranda overturned every article of clothing and piece of furniture as Tessa tugged on a pair of well worn shorts with years old tears and stains_._ She tied together the sharpie drawn on laces of her converse as her friend just a few years younger than her complained loudly.

"Tessie, I can't find my shoes!"

"Well, maybe you should try looking up your butt," she suggested as she threw on a flannel shirt over the orange. "Your head is already up there _somewhere_."

"I'll have no problem finding _your_ butt," Miranda hissed, "as you wear it right in your shoulders."

"_Neither_ of you could find your butts with only your hands," Malcolm _butted_ in."You sound like an Aphrodite child, Verandah." The daughter of Demeter scowled at her ridiculous pet name. "You always whine that your_ turquoise converse high-tops_ never match with your _navy blue denim shorts_."

Miranda looked down at her outfit. She scowled at the_ turquoise converse high-tops_ and the_ navy blue denim shorts_ he had so accurately described.

Tessa snorted. She ran a brush through her hair as Miranda found her shoes and threw them at the back of Malcolm's head with contempt. She cheered when he yelped girlishly, the resounding thud of the _Cyfaddasrwydd y Drefn o Gadwedigaeth trwy Ffydd _or _Compatibility of the Order of Preservation through Faith_ falling on his foot. It was a Welsh book on theology.

Miranda went on to talk gossip as if nothing had happened. Tessa only managed to catch a few sentences about the new camper who had arrived last night: "Percy Jackson; not much to look at." and "He defeated Pasiphaë's son without any training!"

_Home sweet home__, _she supposed.

* * *

"_Gods_, Tessie! Didn't you listen to _anything_ I taught you?"

Lacey's eyes that made the azure sky above them seem pale skimmed over Tessa's form over the Zeus table. Her elbows were rested on the white cloth, her hair trickling down long enough to reach the purple trimming.

After the horror of being stuck in the all-girls school in northern Virginia, Lacey had been ridiculously expecting for the magical to have at least _listened_ to her helpful hints of advice.

And she comes back to _this_.

She pinched at the sleeve of the flannel shirt, which had a small, but visible tear. "The summer was _obviously_ wasted on you."

"They're only _clothes_, Lace," Tessa informed. She frowned into the steaming cup of hot chocolate - with its ton of whipped cream, sprinkles, and chocolate syrup - and took a slow, savoring, obnoxious gulp. "You have to wear them so you don't get arrested for streaking."

The daughter of Aphrodite winced, as though in pain. "Where did I go wrong?" she murmured.

"She's still a scrawny little punk," Clarisse la Rue said. She strutted up to the table to stand beside Lacey, leaning forward and scrutinizing Tessa with harsh brown eyes. "What's _this_ supposed to be?" She uncrossed her buff arms and tugged on one of her curls. "Long as a girl's!" she crowed.

"I_ am_ a girl, la Rue," Tessa said snarkily. "In case you haven't noticed." She ran her fingers through her hair, which was now to the small of her back, and winced. She hadn't really bothered to give her hair a cut after the whole Horcrux hunt.

"Up in a pretty little French braid last night," Connor informed her, sitting beside Tessa. He ignored the looks they were gaining, as campers weren't allowed to sit at other tables other than their godly parent's. He smirked and sneaked one of Tessa's strawberries when she was too busy glaring at the daughter of Ares. She pouted at him with a betrayed look.

"Yeah," Travis added, plopping down on her other side, "she looked real sweet."

"I'll ask Drew for a pretty pink ribbon." Clarisse cackled as she thought about the optimistic tyrant of the Aphrodite cabin.

_Jerks_, Tessa thought. _I'll teach you for messing with me._

"Well," Lacey said. She gave an enigmatic Mona Lisa smile and rocked back on her heels.

"Well," Clarisse agreed, tugging again on Tessa's hair.

"Well." The Stoll brothers gripped onto Tessa's arms in a perfect unison that seemed to have been practiced.

"What the -?" She wriggled in their hold as they pulled her out of the bench. In the corner of her eye, she could see that godsdamned Athena daughter, Annabeth Chase, smirking as she got rough handled. Clarisse gave a roaring whoop that gathered the attention of the rest of the campers and stuck to Tessa's kicking feet.

It dawned on her why they were carrying her out of the pavilion.

_"NO!"_ She was screeching as if she were being skinned alive. "You gotta be kidding! JERKS!"

"It has to be done," Lacey chirped as she walked carefully along behind the flailing teenagers. "You don't have to worry about getting the snazzy outfit wet for too long, seeing as you can just use your powers to dry off."

_"Cut it out!"_ Tessa screamed. "That water's fucking _cold_! I'm not going in that!"

"You'll probably sink like a stone," Clarisse mused mildly. "Looks like you've turned into a wimp while I've been gone..."

"Wimp my ass!" Tessa snarled. She wrestled in their grips similar to a fish. She tried to shock them, but sadly they were used to it. "It takes three of you take me down, and one of you's an Ares kid! You're all just a bunch of weak juveniles." _With grips of steel._

"How far do you think you can throw her?" Lacey smiled, a wicked light in her eyes.

_I'll rip out your spines through your nostrils._

"I think it's time to find out," Connor laughed as he swung Tessa's right arm toward the lake. "One!"

_You all will be fine without ears._

"Better hold your breath, Supergirl!" Travis hooted. "Two!"

_The fingernails will have to go._

"Say hello to the Naiads for me!" Clarisse mocked, tightening her grip on her feet. "Three!"

_I will remove your spleens._

Tessa wailed as she slammed into the water, limbs flailing. It was stupid of her to realize that she could have just flown away from them, but she was tired and too welled up in her fear. She knew how to swim of course, but that didn't mean she liked to take a leisurely swim in the lake every once in a while. Being the daughter of the sky god usually meant that she weren't allowed near bodies of water or underground without suffering. Luckily, she never really did anything to offend Poseidon.

When she reached up to the surface, she hoisted herself up and leaned onto the deck, supported only by her arms. She moved a hunk of dripping hair back behind her ear, and looked up to the Big House. There, a young boy - probably at the peak of his teenage years, judging by his height and lanky form - was watching them, head cocked to the side. Since he was so far away, she couldn't tell if he was looking on with something like interest or jealousy, or the color of his eyes, facial features. But she can see a head of black gravity-defying hair, and she could tell he was the newbie on the topic of gossip because he had no orange camp shirt. He was also holding a white shoebox, which she assumed was where the Minotaur's horn was.

Tessa grinned wolfishly. She never liked to participate in Clarisse's initiations; it reminded her of when the older kids at the orphanage would go "Tessa Hunting", as they had so affectionately called it. But it was amusing to watch the new demigods on how they would handle the situation. Even more so when they used their powers.

"Clarisse." she jerked her head to the boy, who was now walking off with who was probably a satyr. "Newbie."

Clarisse laughed gleefully.

* * *

She was _pissed_.

Tessa ran across the volleyball court, waving the large, plastic neon water gun in the universal sigh of _hi_ when the players - Apollo vs. Hermes - called out to her. Her bag slapped against her back, filled with the boxes of flowers she had promised to get Silena and others. She was sopping wet, _again_, thanks to Clarisse, _again_. She knew she and her buddies were running somewhere ahead of her, armed with her own water gun they had stolen from the camp store.

Her anger fueled when she caught the sound of maniacal laughter.

"You're dead now, la Rue," she muttered.

She was extremely uncomfortable. She was running - no, _flying_. Her toes were barely skimming the tips of grass blades as she ran, hovering and in her anger not completely acknowledging it. Her wet hair was sticking to her cheeks, and her clothes were attached like a second skin. There was sand on her back and her distrust towards the Naiads for throwing her into a dune on the beach increased even more.

She could hear the gruff voice of Clarisse as she rounded the corner of the facility building, and she aimed the water gun for the first figure she could see.

A high-pitched scream that definitely didn't match the counselor of the Ares cabin almost popped her eardrums.

"Oh, _shit_," she mumbled, rubbing her ears dramatically.

Annabeth fisted her hands and glared at Tessa. "You - you Airhead!" she yelled. She wrung out her shirt, creating another mini puddle of water beside her foot. "Have you gone _insane_?"

Tessa pulled an offended look. The only people she knew who were insane were Pollux and Castor. And their father, of course. "You got caught in the crossfire," she explained, though she couldn't figure out how she managed to confuse Clarisse's bulky form with Annabeth's slender one. She pointed the nose of the water gun to the ground, putting her hands up in surrender. "And this proves that...there are no innocent bystanders in war?" She glared at the Ares' girls who started to howl loudly.

"Which proves," Annabeth spat out, causing the boy beside her to take a step back, "that some adults with toys can be complete idiots."

"Hey!" Tessa protested. "This is no _toy_; it's a Maximum Blaster 5000." She paused. Reaching into her bag, she brought out a simple white box that was tied with a royal purple ribbon. "I got you flowers... I'm sorry?"

She could see the boy - possibly the new kid, Percy Jackson - eying the water gun with interest.

Annabeth's cheeks reddened with anger, her grey eyes hardening like steel. "Well, you can take your flowers and your Maximum Blaster 5000 and shove it up your -"

"Language, Owlet!" Tessa chided, clicking her tongue in disapproval.

Clarisse grinned smugly at Annabeth. "We'll pulverize you." She said this as though she had already said it before. She turned to Percy. "Who's this little runt?"

"Percy Jackson," Annabeth gritted out, and Tessa gave her self a pat on the back, "meet Clarisse, daughter of Ares. This -" she waved a hand to Tessa, who smiled as charmingly as she could "- is Tessa, daughter of Zeus."

Percy decided not to comment on Tessa's godly parent, as he had just witnessed what she did to Annabeth, even if it was on accident. So, he turned to Clarisse instead. "Like...the war god?"

"You got a problem with that?" Clarisse sneered, reminding Tessa eerily of Malfoy.

"No," Percy said. He raised his black brows, looking pleased with himself for some reason. "It explains the bad smell."

Tessa covered her snort of amusement.

Clarisse growled threateningly. "We got an initiation ceremony for newbies, Prissy."

"Percy."

"Whatever. Come on, I'll show you."

Annabeth tried to intervene. "Clarisse -"

"Stay out of it, wise girl."

Annabeth looked as if she wanted to say something else. Percy sent her a look, and Tessa knew just by that one gesture he had to be incredibly stubborn. Even more so than her.

Percy handed her the shoebox he was carrying. He set forward, as if he actually had a chance against Clarisse, and in an instant was being dragged into the girls' bathroom in a headlock. Annabeth followed behind them slowly. Tessa handed her the box of flowers.

"This isn't the time for -"

"Just open it, Owlet."

She glared at the nickname, but otherwise took out her bronze knife and cut away the ribbon. It fluttered to the ground, and Annabeth's eyes softened. A bouquet of Calla Lilies sat in the tissue paper, waxy blooms the color of eggplant. Tessa had gone to the Demeter Cabin after her little dunk in the lake, and the counselor Katie, Miranda's older and full-blooded sister, had helped her choose the perfect flowers.

_Intelligent, sophisticated, practical-minded, still badass, and a soft gooey center_, she had said. _Perfectly Annabeth Chase._

Tessa dragged Annabeth by the arm into the bathrooms before she could get all teary-eyed. Inside the cinder-block building, the group of Ares' daughters were laughing at Percy's misfortune, who was kicking and punching as much as he could with Clarisse pulling at his hair.

"Like he's 'Big Three' material," Clarisse guffawed. She set a smirk to Tessa, remembering when she had unleashed her full sparky fury years ago and earned Clarisse's respect. "Yeah, right. Mintotaur probably fell over laughing, he was so stupid looking."

Annabeth huddled in the corner, watching the scene play out between the stems of the flowers in front of her face. Tessa pouted, thinking that she should at least appreciate the flowers by protecting them. Not to mention that she had dried Annabeth off from the water, and herself.

She couldn't completely see Percy because of the stalls, but she could imagine him huddled over the toilet bowl, hands pressed to the rim and refusing to go in. Then the ground started to shake. Water shot of the occupied stall in a perfect arch, and Tessa screeched, flying up to the corner of the ceiling and pressing herself against the walls. The water aimed for Clarisse and her siblings, causing them to fall onto the tiles by the strong force of it. Percy himself was sprawled on the floor, but perfectly dry.

The light bulbs bursted in a shower of sparks in Tessa's terror when the six other toilets started to explode, along with the showers and the water faucets. She maneuvered the air to make a shield around her, forgetting about Annabeth beneath her, who was curled into a small protective ball. The Ares' girls were swept out of the bathroom in the river of plumbing water.

The water eventually stopped, but Tessa didn't move from her spot. Percy looked down at himself, amazed to find not a drop of water on his skin. He looked at Annabeth, who looked like a drenched kitten once again and up to Tessa, who was still itching away from the water making its way down the walls. He stood up slowly, legs shaking visibly.

Annabeth studied his dry form. "How did you..."

Percy was just as perplexed as the rest of them. "I don't know."

They waked outside, where Clarisse and her sisters were lying in the mud. Tessa tapped Annabeth's shoulder absentmindedly, and the daughter of Athena was met with a blast of air. Her blonde curls were then left fluffy, face flushed pink and clothes still wrinkled. She nodded her thanks.

Clarisse scrambled to her feet, hatred clear on her face. "You are dead, new boy. You are totally dead."

Percy had a smug little smirk on his face. "You want to gargle with toilet water again, Clarisse? Close your mouth."

The crowd made way for the Ares' kids like the red sea, some choking on their laughter and others looking horrified.

Annabeth stared at Percy with a strange look on her face.

"What?" Percy demanded hotly. "What are you thinking."

"I'm thinking," she said slowly, like she couldn't decided if she were going to praise or regret her next words, "that I want you on my team for Capture the Flag."

Tessa clapped a hand to Percy's shoulder. He looked up at her in surprise. "You are so in my good books kid," she stated, grinning widely. "But I'm still going to beat you in CTF."

* * *

Tessa sat at the Aphrodite table, having to thank the Love goddess for her allowance. Silena was seated right in front of her, cooing over the flowers she had gotten her - tulips in a soft pink hue. _Warm, simple yet exotic - if that makes any sense - sweet but not all that sappy, and a spine of steel,_ Katie had grinned. _Sturdier than it looks._

The daughter of Zeus still had some sucking up to do, knowing Silena after all. "The torchlight is great here," she noted. "We could do some outdoor work. We can do watercolors, pastel, oil, charcoal. I'm assuming you have some long flowy thing, right? Sleeveless, or strapless, to show off your shoulders. Strong, they go with your face."

"Well, that's lucky for me, isn't it?" Silena flashed a dazzling smile.

Tessa took a sip of Gillywater. She was still upset that she couldn't have Blishen's Firewhiskey, as alcohol wasn't allowed. She couldn't even have Butterbeer, no matter how small amount of alcohol was contained. She wasn't even a fan of Gillywater, but it tasted better than regular water and Pumpkin Juice. She still didn't have it very often, especially after the Italian Gryffindor Rodolphus Vane had tried to give her a glass spiked with a Love Potion. She knew his twin sister, Romilda, had helped him with it.

Continuing the long sip, she stood up, seeing a familiar person at the end of the line for the brazier. Silena followed her.

"What've you been doing?" Tessa asked Will Solace, a son of Apollo. His blond hair curled where it met the collar of his shirt, and it was still as shaggy as ever. "You've missed out on too much."

"Mooching," was his simple answer.

'Who's the victim this time?" Tessa asked.

"Why can't you people just say something simple for once?" Silena sighed. "Like, 'Hi, it's nice to see your beautiful face again'?"

"Hi," Tessa echoed. "It's nice to see your ugly face again."

Silena pouted. "That's not what I said."

"Close enough."

Will rolled his cerulean eyes and turned to the brazier. As he gave a piece of his steak to Apollo, a pair of familiar arms encircled his waist from behind. Tessa leaned over so she could rest her head into the crook of his neck, seeing as she was taller than his 5'3 frame.

"I miiiiiiissed your ugly face," she said, her voice muffled by the fabric of his camp shirt. "Along with everybody elses', of course."

From behind Silena, Michael mock sniffled. "Gods, I'm tearing up. This moment is so touching."

"Don't make a sentimental fool of yourself," Silena advised.

Tessa pressed her lips tightly together to keep in the smile. She took Will's place in front of the brazier and reluctantly dropped the fattest strawberries into the flame. "Zeus," she mumbled, staring down at the flames that had eaten the rest of her favorite fruits in slight jealousy. She then sacrificed her still warm roll. "Apollo." The chopped up peaches were next. "Athena." And for the Hades of it, she scraped off a slice of beef. "Dionysus, but you're still an asshole." She would have given something to Hestia - who she knew was the little girl who often poked at the hearth at the center of the cabins - but she knew that Hestia took a small part of each tribute.

She smirked cheekily up at said man. The firelight gave off the illusion that his curls were purple, and his equally amethyst eyes glared down at her. It was rather forced though, she noticed, once he caught whiff of the heavenly scents.

She strutted back to the chatting Aphrodite table, extremely pleased with herself.

A few minutes later, Chiron stamped his hooves against the stones to gather their attention.

Mr. D sat up with a sigh that could rival her father's theatre attitude. "Yes, I suppose I'd better say hello to all you brats. Well, hello. Our activities director, Chiron, says the next Capture the Flag is Friday. Cabin five presently holds the laurels."

The Ares kids pounded their fist onto the table, roaring at their victory reminder.

"Personally," Mr. D droned on, similar to Professor Binns, "I couldn't care less, but congratulations. Also, we should tell you that we have a new camper today. Peter Johnson."

Chiron leaned over, muttering something to the god of insanity.

"Er, Percy Jackson," he corrected, looking as if he didn't really care about his mistake. "That's right. Hurrah, and all that. Now run along to your silly campfire. Go on."

He waved his pudgy hands at them, as if he were swatting at a pesky little fly. Or Wrackspurts. Any works.

A son of Aphrodite - Mitchell - waved Tessa over. He stood proud and tall next to her, an amused air around him. "Come, Arbutus Evans," he joked in a commanding king's voice. "Let us go and sit at the amphitheater like men."

At her raised eyebrow, he shrugged. "Well, you _are_ like a tomboy, not all girly flowers and pink glitter."

She rolled her eyes. "Doesn't mean I'm a _man_." She gestured to her body. "No man should have boobs and curves."

"Whatever." He stared her down bravely. "Let's poke fun at Mr. D then."


End file.
